THE government was accused today of “rewarding failure” on the railways after it extended the contract of Avanti West Coast despite the firm providing an “unacceptable” service to passengers.

The train operator has had its contract renewed until April 1 next year to allow time for the company to improve its performance, the Department for Transport (DfT) has said.

Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between London Euston and regional cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, has been criticised for slashing up to two-thirds of its services.

Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Services on Avanti have been unacceptable and while the company has taken positive steps to get more trains moving, it must do more to deliver certainty of service to its passengers.”

But white-collar rail workers’ union TSSA argued that the contract renewal meant the government was “rewarding failure” and represented a “missed opportunity” to bring the criticised service into public ownership. 

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “This contract extension exposes the ideological insanity of putting privatisation before services and passengers. 

“Avanti have failed, yet are rewarded for that failure with an extension to their contract.”

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “This is a reward for abject failure and a slap in the face for passengers.

“This failing operator has caused travel misery and the government’s answer is to hand over millions more in taxpayers’ cash and consign passengers to yet more chaos.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “The damage that Avanti’s failing service is inflicting on our economy, and the huge disruption to passengers, is completely unacceptable.

“The thought of another six months of what we’re currently experiencing is a huge concern.”

FirstGroup plc, which co-owns Avanti West Coast in partnership with Italian state train operator Trenitalia, said it was “committed” to providing a service that meets the needs of passengers.